Gregor MacDowall, great grandson of CRSC co-founder George Stromier, on Waverley in Loch Long on Sunday 20 October, the last public sailing of the paddler’s 2024 season
Gregor MacDowall, 24, is one of CRSC’s latest recruits. He explains the influences that made him want to become a member of the Club.
When I was recently asked why I had joined CRSC and when did I first get the boat ‘bug’, I really had to think if ever there was a time I didn’t have it.
In true story telling fashion, let’s begin at the beginning. And by that I mean 68 years before I was born, when my great grandfather, George Stromier, and his cousin Leo Vogt formed the Clyde River Steamer Club with John Wood. Even though George unfortunately died before I was born (in 2000), his legacy is still something I feel.
Reunion of old friends: Leo Vogt, John Wood and George Stromier on Duchess of Hamilton in 1969, 37 years after they joined forces to establish the Club
Moving on to my formative years, after being born in Inverness, as a family we moved to Hong Kong for two and a half years, and if there is anywhere that can compete with the hustle and bustle of the Clyde in the golden years, then it is surely Hong Kong Harbour. I was very young at the time, but I still remember vividly the massive container ships that would sail past our flat, leading to the joke that we saw everyone’s Christmas presents six months before they did!
I also remember the hydrofoil from Hong Kong to Macau, and if anything sets up a life-long fascination for ships, it is surely knowing what a hydrofoil is at the age of three! But my most endearing ship memory from that time is undoubtedly the Star Ferry. A legacy of British colonial rule, these immensely characterful boats could take you across the Harbour for the equivalent of 10-15p, and was always the highlight of any trip.
Moving back to Scotland, I lived the rest of my childhood on the Black Isle which, since the opening of the Kessock Bridge in 1982, ceased to have a ferry service to and from Inverness. It does however retain the Cromarty-Nigg ferry over the summer, currently operated by the former Renfrew Ferry, Renfrew Rose. The only other source of maritime interest there was the collection of oil rigs that would take up residence in the Cromarty Firth while awaiting repair or disposal — occasionally accompanied at Invergordon by cruise ships which were sometimes no better looking than the oil rigs!
Gregor at Oban after the arrival of Waverley from the Clyde
However, my enthusiasm was satisfied once a year when we made the trip to my great uncle’s house at Toward Point for a week. This was the perfect setting as the house looks directly onto the Firth of Clyde, giving an exceptional view of the Rothesay ferries: I would run down to the beach to get a better look at them.
It was on those occasions that I was introduced to a lifelong romance with Waverley. My first cruise was up Loch Long from Dunoon. It was love at first sight! And almost as excitingly for me was the fact we had to use the Western Ferries to cross to Cowal. Alas, we never used the ‘streakers’ to Dunoon, as they were more expensive (or at least so I was told), but there was one occasion when I did.
At this point it is only fair I introduce another key reason why I have fallen in love with ships, and that is my Great Aunt Fiona Stromier, who is undoubtedly well known to many in the Club.
While we would often meet GAF (as she is to me!) either in Dunoon or Largs, on one occasion my brothers and I were shoved onto MV Jupiter by my parents and met with open arms by GAF and taken up to Glasgow on the train to see the National Football Museum at Hampden. While my brothers were absolutely absorbed by the football, for me the ferry and train were the undoubted highlights of the day.
After leaving school and saying goodbye to the Highlands, I went to Strathclyde University to study mechanical engineering. It was during this time that my appreciation of Clyde-built ships grew further, particularly in the last couple of years, with trips to Bute and Cumbrae becoming more regular.
It was also where, courtesy of my incredibly generous great aunt, I reignited my love for Waverley, not having been on the ship for years. We went on that summer’s final sailing to the Kyles of Bute, after which I became a member of CRSC. The next year I managed a couple more trips, including another last sail of the season with GAF, and this year I managed to persuade my long-suffering girlfriend to join me as we sailed in May from Glasgow to Oban, in absolutely gorgeous weather with stunning scenery. That has undoubtedly been the highlight of my experiences with Waverley, not least because the next day we could ‘ferry spot’ in Oban, which is always time well spent.
I graduated in the summer of 2023. For the past year I have been working at the shipyard formerly known as Yarrows, now part of BAE Systems, and so in the smallest of ways I am contributing to the continuing history of ships on the Clyde. My knowledge and appreciation of Clyde steamers has only increased since joining CRSC, and I look forward to learning about our shipping heritage even more.
CRSC is an association of friendly enthusiasts united by the quest to ‘meet together, sail together and talk together’, mainly on the west of Scotland — but many members hail from further afield. If you join us, you’ll receive copies of our much-prized west coast shipping Review and annual magazine, as well as access to a huge library of archive photos in the ‘Members Only’ section of this website. We gather for meetings and cruises throughout the year. To join us, click here.
‘Lifelong romance’: Gregor on board Waverley
Published on 28 October 2024